The structure of mothers' belief systems regarding the development of their children is investigated in families with and without parental psychopathology. The emphasis is on mothers' causal thinking about the factors involved in the origins of their children's behavior or personality characteristics. Affectively ill persons tend to experience helplessness and lack of personal control over life events, and manifest distorted patterns of perceived control, exaggerating responsibility for bad events and denying it regarding good events. The way mothers perceive their own causal input in the development of their children as compared to other causal factors (genetics, father's input, external events, etc.) may be a crucial influence on their rearing practices. This issue becomes one of a particular importance when clinically depressed mothers are concerned. Their possible feelings of helplessness regarding the development of their children, particularly their beliefs about their children's vulnerability to affective disorders, may influence their rearing behavior and the expectations conveyed to their children. Beliefs of 200 normal and depressed mothers are assessed with the use of a newly developed diagnostic procedure. Their beliefs will be related to their clinical diagnoses, rearing methods, and children's personality characteristics.